Perspectives

An Example of the Economic Blueprint in Action

By Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min Muhammad -Guest Columnist- | Last updated: Dec 4, 2013 - 3:04:14 PM

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Kelvin Muhammad runs a small dairy farm about 60 miles from Houston, with one of the Jersey cows on the farm, a gallon of raw milk and one of the many items produced by Pure Milk Farms.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has launched a nationwide economic development plan based on the Economic Blueprint of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, who used such strategy to buy farmland and set up businesses in Black communities across America. After the departure of The Messenger in 1975, members of the then Nation of Islam decided to take a more integrationist approach, abandoning the Messenger’s self-help strategy of economic independence.

Minister Farrakhan has revived The Teachings and the economic independence strategies of The Messenger, including the Economic Blueprint.

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When big business decides to launch a new product or service, a lot of research, development and testing are done before consumers see the end product. In many cases, models or pilot projects are launched to see whether the project will “fly.”

In a similar manner, there are cases of Nation of Islam members using the Economic Blueprint on a local basis and whose success proves the viability of a larger-scale application.

Such a model, test case, or pilot project has occurred in the Houston area under Mosque No. 45 centered on a desire for pure wholesome milk.

On Saturday, Nov. 9, the Nation of Islam Ministry of Agriculture was very fortunate to have on its weekly blogtalk radio program, Kelvin Muhammad, who runs a small dairy farm about 60 miles from Houston. This  episode of the blogtalk radio program was produced by the Ministry of Agriculture “Buying Club Committee” and hosted by Carlton Muhammad and his wife, Majeedah Muhammad. The broadcast is archived under “Keys to Success of Pure Milk Farms,” which would be well worth one hour of your time to listen to it in its entirety.

As I was listening to Bro. Kelvin describe how they got started and the history of their development, I noticed that it fell right in line with the five steps outlined in Muhammad’s Economic Blueprint, namely: 1. Recognize the necessity for unity and group operation (activities). 2. Pool your resources, physically as well as financially. 3. Stop wanton criticisms of everything that is Black-owned and Black-operated. 4. Keep in mind, jealousy destroys from within. 5. Observe the operations of the White man. He is successful. He makes no excuses for his failures. He works hard in a collective manner. You do the same. [Elijah Muhammad, Message to the Blackman in America]

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After an inspirational lecture by Dr. Abdul Alim Muhammad, the Believers in Mosque No. 45 had a great desire for raw milk. At first they were able to get the milk they needed from a farm close to Houston. However, according to Bro. Kelvin, they were ordering so much milk on the weekends from this farmer that he had to neglect his other customers. Eventually this farmer had to cut the supply of milk to the Houston mosque. The male members of the Mosque, the Fruit of Islam, recognized the necessity for unity and group operations and decided to pool their financial resources and purchase their first cow, starting in 2006. The spiritual leader of the Houston mosque, Student Minister Robert Muhammad, was very supportive of the F.O.I.’s move into the dairy industry and helped them to overcome wanton criticisms, jealousies and disagreements to stick together and follow through on their collective decision.

Bro. Kelvin volunteered to milk their first cows, even though he, like the other members of the Mosque, had no animal husbandry experience. However, they did have the help, support and guidance of their former milk suppliers to instruct and guide them in dairying. The demand for the milk increased, so the F.O.I. again got together, pooled their resources and leased a 10-acre tract of land in Alvin, Texas, which they transformed into a dairy. Now in 2013 they own 18 cows and operate on 50 acres of land in Winnie, Texas. Isaiah Muhammad and Danny Muhammad actually purchased the land, house, and additional farm equipment. Victor X did the plumbing and Sylvester Muhammad, Bro. Danny, and Bro. Isaiah did the electrical wiring for the house and milk parlor. They still supply a lot of pure milk to the Houston mosque, but now instead of 90 percent of sales coming from the mosque, 90 percent of sales come from the broader Houston community.

The F.O.I. of Houston have taken on the responsibility of educating Black and Latino communities about the value of pure milk and  have created a desire for the milk from Pure Milk Farms (http://www.puremilkfarms.com/). Much of the milk is now ordered and paid for in the beginning of the year and then delivered to specific drop-off points in Houston on a weekly basis. The money collected by this preorder process allows Pure Milk Farms to operate virtually debt-free, a feat that most businesses in America would love to pull off. As an incentive, those who preorder their milk get a 20 percent discount. All of this has been made possible by the Believers observing the operations of the White man and working together in a collective manner. The prepayment drop-off delivery process is called “community supported agriculture” and is very prevalent in conscious White communities across America, who have recognized the necessity of going straight to the farmer to obtain good, wholesome milk along with healthful, additive-free fruits and vegetables.

If the mosque in Houston can use the steps in the Economic Blueprint to set up a successful dairy operation, then that same model can be followed to set up agricultural-related businesses across America. Then through value-added processing, many job opportunities and profits can accrue to those who wish to end poverty and want while building an independent economic reality in the Black communities across America.  Through the efforts of Bro. Kelvin’s wife, Sis. Yamina, and other women  in Mosque No. 45, Pure Milk Farms has now branched out into turning the milk into cheese, yogurt and other valuable byproducts that greatly increase the value of each gallon of milk.

The value-added processing for farm commodities is a concept currently being revitalized in America and allows the farmer to transform his low-price raw commodity, like milk, into higher-valued products like cheese, yogurt and butter. Farmers taking this next step represent the producer portion of a concept coined by the Ministry of Agriculture as “Meet Me Halfway.” Right now farmers in America receive an average of only 25 percent of the consumer’s dollar for food, whereas they received 50 percent as recently as 1970. In 1970 a lot of consumers actually cooked their meals from scratch, buying fresh raw farm products. Now consumers eat at fast food restaurants or prepare prepackaged processed foods high in strange chemical additives and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Our goal is to get the farmers and consumers to meet each other halfway, where the farmer carefully transforms the raw product into a more consumer-friendly (convenient) product and the consumer goes back into the kitchen and actually cooks instead of “nuking” (microwaving) their food. This would produce a win-win situation for both: the farmers would make more money and the consumers would be eating healthier while actually saving money.

Pure Milk Farms also has an apprentice program, which trains 3 young potential farmers at a time and is quickly fueling a desire within young Black men to choose farming as a way of life. It would be well worth your time to go to the archives at www.blogtalkradio/noimoa and listen to the broadcast titled “Keys to the Success of Pure Milk Farms” and get a taste of a successful business-development model. Using the experience of Mosque No. 45 as a prototype, we must now get behind Minister Farrakhan and “Muhammad’s Economic Blueprint to End Poverty and Want.” Please go to www.economicblueprint.org and sign up to participate in the building of a new economic reality for Black people in America.

(Dr. Ridgely A. Mu’min Muhammad is an agricultural economist, National Student Minister of Agriculture, and manager of Muhammad Farms. He can be reached at [email protected].)